The Story of Ming Lan

Too many characters, watched the first time did not remember the characters, now is watching the second time... The heroine's acting is not good, and sometimes I am confused if I have a wrong understanding of the plot, and then go back ten minutes before to reconfirm.

The character setting of the hero has problems, early is a playboy, and later become a good husband.

There was such a dissonance between the story and the actors. Did the director and casting unit not read their own script before they congregated 40-year-old men to play the role of boys on the cusp of manhood? I could forgive most things but this one issue completely drew me out of the story. To compound that, wardrobe choices in the first half had the men in ill-fitting clothing and atrocious hair pieces. Again, that diluted the authenticity of the story.

The best part about this was watching the family dynamic, especially Minglan's relationship with her grandmother. So precious. Likewise, Ming's sizzling relationship with Gu Tingye in the second half. So hot. Yet, even these couldn't offset the evil that permeated the entire story. It was too much and it dragged on for far too long. Yes I know, the villain is very villainy but did we need to see her repeat the same playacting over the course of 40 or more episodes?

Did we need all that back and forth at the Gu mansions? Did we need to see the minutiae of their daily lives, especially the ubiquitous eating? Did the characters in the Sheng family have to speak obliquely when they all could have benefitted from some showdowns and home truths? Minglan's father was a waste of space and to think three women were actually fighting over him. Why would Tingye risk the lives of Minglan and his children just to save the Emperor? Have the heavens fallen?

Seventy-three episodes is a lot no matter how lovely or compelling the story and sadly this drama was unconvincing.

I was pleasantly surprised by this drama thought it was going to be one of those long winded dramas were i would skip episodes but far from it i watched the whole 73 episodes.All the actors were excellent especially the women jealously,envy,hatred and love you have it all in this drama . I would recommend you give this drama watch you will love it.

Although I have not yet finished viewing all the episodes in this drama, it is obvious from the first 7 or 8 that this is a quality drama. Especially, regarding the mores and culture of the period. As I have yet to see all of the episodes then I must give it nine stars rather than ten. However, I have no doubt that after seeing all episodes I would give it a ten.

Feng Shaofeng will be familiar to many people who enjoy Chinese drama. His most well-known role is in the eponymous 'Prince of Lang Ling" TV production. Further, his performances in Tsui Hark's 'Young Inspector Dee" films has added to his reputation as one of the principle actors in today's Chinese Films. A further mention of Feng Shaofeng's virtuosity can also be seen as the sublime Monk in the equally entertaining 'Monkey King' productions.

In this drama he has an equally experienced female actor as his co-star. The inimitable; Zhao Liying. An impressive talent in her own right, Zhao has starred in many popular and critically acclaimed dramas. Many times being nominated and then won for her performances.

The costumes, mise-en-scene and direction all live up to making this one of the best dramas of 2019. I look forward to seeing further episodes of this excellent drama from China.

I have to be honest, at first, when I decided to watch this series, I have low expectation. But my God, how wrong I was. Story of Ming Lan is a masterpiece I love this drama; I love the dialogue, i think it's genius. I love the plot, the scheme. This series is so smart, it's almost similar to Nirvana in Fire but at family level and I really think that it's even better than nirvana in fire. I love when all the character make move, try to outsmart one another, and how they think ahead and plan every move.

This series is shot beautifully and they pay attention to every detail. if you want to know chinese custom, tradition, and how they lived at the past, you should watch this series. it's almost like a documentary. It's very different from the untamed or eternal love: ten miles of peach blossom (another series that I love) but Story of Ming Lan has its own uniqueness

My recomendation is try to watch 10 episodes of this series before you decide whether this series is for you or not